Multiple folding booklets

ABSTRACT

Multiple folding bookelts separably joined providing pages uniform in size and equal in number and methods for the use and preparation thereof.

United States Patent 11 1 Lyon, Jr. 5] Nov. 18, 1975 [5 1 MULTIPLEFOLDING BOOKLETS 1.567.875 12/1925 Swanson 229/921 1, 3 121929 B..282/11.5R [75] Inventor: Randolph Westport, 4/1932 Flfd ir i ark281/15 Com 1.947.139 2/1934 282/115 R [73 Assignee: Kurt H. volk, Inc.Milford, Conn 1.975.660 10/1934 Phllllps et a1. 282/11.5 R [22] Filed:Feb. 28, 1973 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 2 APP] 33 4 3 19,439 1899United Kingdom 281/18 485.994 5/1938 United Kingdom 281/16 Related [1.8.Application Data [63] Cgmtijnuatjjon of Ser. No. 125,937, March 19.1971. p l Evmmmer jerome Schna" a an one Attorney, Agent, orFirm-McLean, Boustead and 52 us. c1. 281/16; 281/5; 281/18; Sayre229/921 [51] Int. Cl. B421) 1/00 [58] Field of Search 281/16, 17, 21 R,15 R, [57] ABSTRACT 281/185; 282/115 R, 11.5 A. 12 A, 24 Multiplefolding bookelts separably joined providing 24 24 24 C; 270/15, 37;229/921 pages uniform in size and equal in number and methods for theuse and preparation thereof. [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS4 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures 1.330.786 2/1920 Cooper 270/5 U.S. PatentNov. 18,1975 Shegt 1 of2 3,920,267

RANDOLPH s. LYON JR.

INVENTOR. BY% Law, 5011 m eod ATTORNEYS U.S. Patent Nov. 18, 1975 Sheet2 of2 3,920,267

RANDOLPH s LYON, JR.

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS MULTIPLE FOLDING BOOKLETS This is a continuation ofapplication Ser. No. 125.937, filed Mar. I9, 197], now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This inventionrelates to an article containing multiple pages which is capable ofbeing separated into multiple booklets or pamphlets all of whichbooklets are of the same size and contain the same number of pages. Thebooklets are made separable by such means as perforations. In one usefulform the invention, the booklets are folded in an accordian, or amodified accordian fashion. so that one booklet compactly contains theother booklets securely within its centerfold pages. In this form myinvention is readily adaptable for use as a self-mailer. requiring onlythe printing or affixing of an addressee label, and is capable ofwithstanding the handling by the post office without mutilation ordeterioration. Furthermore. this invention relates to a method of makingmultiple folding booklets which are independently separably joined.

2. Description of Prior Art The use of the mails and bulk mailings bythose seeking to transmit information to various segments of thepopulation has greatly increased in the last decade. One of the devicescommonly used to convey the particular messages are booklets orpamphlets of various sizes consisting of from eight or 12 to 16 or morepages. The booklets are usually comprised of two, three or more separatepreprinted sheets which are scored to form a centerfold, and then boundtogether along this backbone by staples or suitable adhesives. Thus, abooklet which was formed from three separate sheets, after folding andbinding contains six leaves. or twelve printed pages, including thefront and back covers.

Typically, the subject matter printed in each these booklets is directedto the same general theme, each booklet containing an individual messageor making a particular point within the larger general theme. Use of theprinted booklet provides a device for transmitting a message that can beread in a short time. and in a form that may be carried conveniently ina pocket or purse, and then passed along to other interested readers.

In the past, however, in order to most efficiently utilize funds setaside for mailing these booklets it was necessary to include a number ofdifferent booklets from the series in a separate envelope, whichenvelope was then posted to the addressee. This procedure was deemednecessary even where the sender was eligible for bulk rates, sincepostage must be paid on each piece sent through the mails. The sender ofcourse. desired to transmit the greatest number of messages possible foreach postage dollar spent. However, it was also considered undesirableby the sender to provide one addressee with a large number of bookletsin any one mailing, since the likelihood that the addressee would readall of the booklets diminished with the greater number that he receivedat any one time. The optimum number of booklets to be sent in aparticular mailing must, therefore. be determined by the sender basedupon his knowledge and experience in the area.

There are. of course. additional cost factors associated with themailing of several booklets in one envelope. Some of these factors are;the cost of the envel- Opes; the cost of printing the U.S. PostagePermit Number or Bulk Rate Identification symbols on the envelopes; thecost of inserting the several booklets in the envelopes and thereafterscaling the envelopes. Inherent in all of these costs is the additionaloverhead associated with the manual handling of the numerous sepa ratepieces that comprise the completed article prior to the final step ofprinting or labeling the envelope to identify the addressee.

These additional costs can constitute a substantial proportion of theoverall expense of printing and mailing, especially when the sendersmailing list consists of several thousand addressees. Reduction orelimination of any of these steps has been an important competitiveconsideration within the industry.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION My invention provides, in a compactly foldedform, multiple booklets which are separably joined, and which uponunfolding may readily be separated to provide a number of individualindependent booklets of uniform size, each containing the same number ofpages. In its folded form my invention is readily adaptable byappropriate printing on one or the other of the exterior cover pages, toprovide a self-mailing article. In a preferred embodiment of myinvention the folded booklets require no further processing prior to theprinting, or affixing of labels to identify the addressces. It has beenfound that the folded booklets will not open or unfold when subjected tothe normal handling associated with transmission by the postal system.

If, however, it is desired to insure that the booklets are not unfoldedor tampered with prior to their receipt by the addressee. as a finalstep. the exterior covers may be sealed by application of a gummed oradhesive wafer seal of a standard type well known in the art.

My invention thus obviates the need for envelopes and the expense andequipment associated with the handling and insertion of numerousindividual pieces into the envelopes. It provides the sender with themeans of transmitting two or more booklets which may be easily separatedfor reading by the addressee. Most important from an economicstandpoint, the invention in its compactly folded packet form may beconsidered to be one piece of mail for the purposes of determining thepostage required. In some instances. depending upon the size of thebooklets and the nature of the printed matter contained therein, thepostal rate for the self-mailing booklets will be appreciably lower thanthat for the same materials enclosed in envelopes.

My invention thus has the advantages of the prior art methods of mailingseparate booklets, in that after separation by the recipient, mybooklets may be read by several individuals at the same time, or aparticular booklet may be read and passed along to another individualwhile the recipient retains the remaining booklets.

My invention also has the particular advantages of being adaptable tofulfill any desired requirements of page size and/or number of pages ineach booklet. and may be practiced utilizing not only the simplerprinting, cutting, perforating and folding equipment known in the art,but may also be most efficiently practiced using the most advancedautomated equipment which is capable of performing these functions.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of three bookletsseparably joined in accordance with my invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial end view ofthe invention of FIG. I, the pages beingseparated to more clearly illustrate one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the embodiment as shown in FIG. I.the pages being separated in a somewhat exaggerated fashion to moreclearly illustrate the invention.

FIG. 4 is a partial end perspective view ofa separated booklet showingin detail the binding of the pages.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. I in a partiallyfolded condition.

FIG. 6 is an end perspective view of an integral printed sheet which maybe used to produce the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. I, 3and 5.

FIG. 7 is an end perspective view of the integral sheet shown in FIG. 6in a partially folded condition.

Referring to the drawings in detail. wherein like references charactersdesignate corresponding or equivalent parts throughout the severalfigures, l5, l6 and I7 are preprinted sheets with transverse perforationlines II and I3, and transverse scoring lines l0, l2 and 14, formingpanels I, 2. 3, 4, 5 and 6. It is understood that characters I, 2, 3. 4,5 and 6 are arbitrarily assigned to the respective panels as shown inthe drawings merely for the purposes of indentification in thisspecification. In the practice ofthe invention the sheets I5, 16 and 17that will constitute the pages of each booklet will be pre-printed inorder to provide consecutive pages after binding and separation. Inother words, the multiple booklets formed in accordance with thedescriptions in FIGS. I and 3 will have the following page relationshipsto the corresponding panels of sheet in the perspective view of FIG. 1:panels 1 and 2 constitute the centerfold pages of a first separablebooklet; panels 3 and 4 constitute the front and back covers ofa secondseparable booklet; and panels 5 and 6 constitute the centerfold pages ofa third separable booklet. The invention embodied in FIGS. 1 and 3comprises three booklets, separably joined along said perforation lines11 and I3, each booklet consisting of 12 pages. said booklets havingbindings I0, l2 and 14, respectively. These bindings may be formed bystapling or use of adhesives. As will be discussed below, hot melt gluecan be advantageously used for forming these bindings in practicing theinvention.

As shown in FIG. 2, a partial end view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, thesheets 15, I6 and 17 have been bound together using adhesive and scoredalong line 10. The scoring facilitates the later step of folding. Alsoas shown in FIG. 2, the adjacent pages joined along their lateral edgesat II by perforations may still be separated. but it would be only withgreat difficulty that the material on these intermediate pages could beread without separating the booklets.

FIG. 4 shows the end booklet of FIG. 3 having been folded along binding10 and separated from the adjacent booklet along perforation line 11.The appearance of the separated booklets is greatly improved if slittype perforations are used. After the folding operation the bookletswill tend to assume the closed position when separated. as shown in FIG.4.

It is obvious that the size and number of the separable multiplebooklets is governed by the dimensions selected for the sheetscorresponding to 15, I6 and I7 and the number and placement of thetransverse scoring and perforation lines correspondong to 10, I2 and 14,I1 and I3, respectively. Similarly. the number of pages contained ineach separable booklet may be increased or decreased by varying thenumber of sheets corresponding to l5. l6 and I7. The only limitationsinvolved in determining the number and size of the pages and the numberof separable multiple booklets are those associatcd with the mechanicalequipment available to perform the steps of scoring. perforating andbinding described above and the facility with which the booklets may befolded and. if desired. sealed to provide a compact. self-mailingpacket.

In the commercial production of my invention. wherein it is anticipatedthat specialized machines known to those in the art are available toperform the scoring. perforation. binding and folding operations. it ispreferred to utilize the appropriately pre-printed integral sheet 25,shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. Such an integral sheet contains longitudinalscoring lines 20 and 22 to facilitate the folding over of sections 15'and 16 onto l7: It is obvious that the number of such longitudinalscoring lines and the subsequent folding and gluing operations employedwill determine the number of pages contained in the booklets. Also shownare the location of transverse perforations l1 and 13. the number ofsuch transverse perforation lines obviously being determinative of thenumber of separable booklets to be produced from the integral sheet.

Hot melt glue may be advantageously utilized to bind the pages of thebooklets when appropriate equipment is available. As shown in FIG. 6, anapplication of the glue has been made to sections 15' and I7 only, alonglines which will correspond to the location of transverse scoring linesl0. l2 and 14, respectively. Use of hot melt glue simplifies the overallpreparation of my invention in that the bindings are provided when sheet16' comes into folded contact with sheet 17'. and when sheet 15' comesinto folded contact with sheet 16. which preparatory steps are shown inFIG. 7.

Subsequent to the combined folding-binding operation, the articlecomprising sheets 15. 16' and 17' is passed through a device whichscores said sheets along lines 10, I2 and 14. and perforates said sheetsalong lines II and 13. The folded sheets are then guillotine trimmed atthe head and foot of each booklet.

The scored lines 10, 12 and I4 facilitate the final folding operation,which is shown as partially completed in FIG. 5. (It should be noted inconnection with FIG. 5 that the individual pages of each separablyjoined booklet are not shown.) It has been found that when the multiplebooklets are folded along perforation lines II and 13 with the bindingsalong lines l0, l2 and X4 in touching alignment, a packet is formedwhich requires no external sealing, and which can be subjected torepeated handling without unfolding or tearing apart.

As will be appreciated by one familiar with the art. the various stepsof trimming. perforating, scoring and folding may be performed in analternative sequence. and by mechanical or hand-operated devices otherthan those indicated. It should also be apparent to one skilled in theprinting art that the pre-printed stock which comprises panels 1 through6 may be prepared in multiplicate so that additional booklets may beprepared by the additional operation of longitudinally cutting acrosssheets IS, I6 and 17.

It should be obvious that instead ofjoining the book lets at the lateraledges of the pages as l have described above. multiple booklets may beprovided in accordance with my invention that are separably joined alongthe top and bottom pages of adjacent booklets.

Moreover. multiple booklets could be separably joined along both lateraland top and bottom page edges and compactly folded in accordance withthe above description of my invention I claim:

I. As an article of manufacture, a plurality of folding booklets forminga self-mailable unit consisting of a. an elongated web of printablematerial comprising a plurality of layers.

b. said web being sub-divided along lines of perforations transverse ofthe web into a plurality of booklet panels each being of the same size.

c. each layer of each panel being detachably connected to a layer ofeach adjacent booklet panel along the line of perforations,

d. each booklet panel being folded at its center along a line transverseto the longitudinal axis of the web to define fields for printed matterin said panels adjacent to a centerfold line.

e. the direction of folding of each panel along its centerfold linebeing in a direction opposite the direction of folding of each adjacentpanel,

f. each layer being permanently bound to each subadjacent layer alongthe centerfold line of each panel, so that upon detachment of saidbooklet panels from adjacent booklet panels a plurality of independentbooklets is provided each having a number of pages which are permanentlybound together along the centerfold line of the panels,

g. the web being folded along said centerfold lines and said lines ofperforations. the direction of folding of each of said panels along saidlines of perforations being in a direction opposite the direction offolding of the next adjacent line of perforations, the order of foldingof the web being first along said lines of perforations to bring saidcenterfold lines into alignment with each other and then along said 6centerfold lines, to bring said panels into a securely nestedrelationship.

2. As an article of manufacture. a plurality of folding booklets forminga self-mailable unit consisting of:

a. an elongated web of printable material comprising a plurality oflayers,

b. said web being subdivided by two lines of perforations transverse ofthe web into three booklet panels each being of the same size.

c. each layer of each panel being detachably con' nected to a layer ofeach adjacent booklet panel along the line of perforations,

d. the panels so defined being folded along said lines of perforations.the direction of folding of each of said panels along said lines ofperforations being in a direction opposite to the direction of foldingof the panels along the next adjacent line of perfora tions to bringsaid panels into a superposed rela tionship,

. all of said superposed panels being folded transverse of the web alongtheir common centerline to define fields of printed matter adjacent thecenter fold line. said booklet panels being in a securely nestedrelationship,

. the sub-adjacent layers of each panel being perma- 3. The article ofclaim 2 wherein the perforations are slit perforations.

4. The article of claim 3 wherein the adjacent layers are bound togetheralong the centerlines of the booklet panels using hot melt glue.

1. As an article of manufacture, a plurality of folding booklets forminga self-mailable unit consisting of a. an elongated web of printablematerial comprising a plurality of layers, b. said web being sub-dividedalong lines of perforations transverse of the web into a plurality ofbooklet panels each being of the same size, c. each layer of each panelbeing detachably connected to a layer of each adjacent booklet panelalong the line of perforations, d. each booklet panel being folded atits center along a line transverse to the longitudinal axis of the webto define fields for printed matter in said panels adjacent to acenterfold line, e. the direction of folding of each panel along itscenterfold line being in a direction opposite the direction of foldingof each adjacent panel, f. each layer being permanently bound to eAchsubadjacent layer along the centerfold line of each panel, so that upondetachment of said booklet panels from adjacent booklet panels aplurality of independent booklets is provided each having a number ofpages which are permanently bound together along the centerfold line ofthe panels, g. the web being folded along said centerfold lines and saidlines of perforations, the direction of folding of each of said panelsalong said lines of perforations being in a direction opposite thedirection of folding of the next adjacent line of perforations, theorder of folding of the web being first along said lines of perforationsto bring said centerfold lines into alignment with each other and thenalong said centerfold lines, to bring said panels into a securely nestedrelationship.
 2. As an article of manufacture, a plurality of foldingbooklets forming a self-mailable unit consisting of: a. an elongated webof printable material comprising a plurality of layers, b. said webbeing sub-divided by two lines of perforations transverse of the webinto three booklet panels each being of the same size, c. each layer ofeach panel being detachably connected to a layer of each adjacentbooklet panel along the line of perforations, d. the panels so definedbeing folded along said lines of perforations, the direction of foldingof each of said panels along said lines of perforations being in adirection opposite to the direction of folding of the panels along thenext adjacent line of perforations to bring said panels into asuperposed relationship, e. all of said superposed panels being foldedtransverse of the web along their common centerline to define fields ofprinted matter adjacent the centerfold line, said booklet panels beingin a securely nested relationship, f. the sub-adjacent layers of eachpanel being permanently bound to each other along the folded centerlineof each panel, so that upon detachment of said booklet panels fromadjacent booklet panels a plurality of independent booklets are providedeach booklet having a number of pages which are permanently boundtogether along the centerfold line of the panel.
 3. The article of claim2 wherein the perforations are slit perforations.
 4. The article ofclaim 3 wherein the adjacent layers are bound together along thecenterlines of the booklet panels using hot melt glue.